Prologue 16 Pianoish - Bellish - Heavy Key Sounds using built-in Analog Compression & Drive

video upload by Mark Steiner

"Well worth hearing in good headphones alert!

Exploring heavy weighted approached keyboard sounds I created for the Korg Prologue 16.

This synth has some great, unique strengths that are nice for this direction of sound.

These sounds use only the 2 analog VCO's and often only one of them. The only effects used are the standard ones that come with the instrument.

I love the digital engine, but here I'm exploring some things that can be done fully with the analog VCO's.

Velocity sensitivity driving volume more than filter and taking advantage at subtle levels the Drive (analog distortion) and the analog compressor on this synth.

Many of the built in effects are amazing on this synth... cinematic mastering quality. Rare in even the most expensive synths.

Having dialed in drive, compression and effects saved in a patch at subtle sweet spots is so valuable!

16 note polyphony makes it great for this too. And the high pass filter switch can push things the groovy clav direction.

Some of these also explore some bell/clangal tone types heard where a secondary VCO has a changing, non-static pitch in many variations of speed, range, and lowness/height of start point.

All sounds & effects are directly from the Prologue.

The Monologue XD's and the Prologue 8 can do this stuff quite well but the compression of the 16 really is worth having and is just great! It provides some really special tonal/response across the velocity range. So great to jam with and to be emotionally expressive with in slower passages.

The NuEVI wind synth here is also playing sounds in the Prologue. They are very different than what I usually play as they also are tone colored by a little drive and analog compression... giving them some of that speaker cabinet smudged tone these also can give the key sounds here.

Thanks for listening!"